For arranging a plurality of similar flat articles it is obvious to form a stack such that the main surfaces of the flat articles lie against one another and that their edges are mostly parallel. Such a stack forms a body with two faces (main surfaces of the two outermost articles) and, if the articles are rectangular or square, four edge-surfaces (formed by the edges of the articles). The stability of such stacks and thus their manipulability is very restricted. They are only stable and manipulable as long as they lie on a horizontal support with the main surfaces of the articles substantially arranged horizontally, and as long as the height of the stack (distance between the faces of the stack, which is determined by the number and thickness of the stacked articles) does not exceed a maximal value determined by different properties of the articles.
Stacks with a height that exceeds the maximal height and/or stacks in with the main surfaces of the articles are not horizontal are only stable if corresponding means for stabilizing and/or guiding the stacks are employed. For stationary stacks or for stacks to be moved basically without changing their position in space, these stabilizing means are simple guiding means by which the stack, depending on its position, is held and supported on two or more sides. These guiding means can be formed such that the stacked articles are accessible from any side and such that the stacked articles are e.g. separately removable from the stack. Stabilizing means which serve for manipulating stacks, i.e. substantially seize stacks from guiding means, bring them into various different positions in space and deposit them in further guiding means, must meet far higher demands.
Means serving for stabilizing stationary stacks as well as for stabilizing them when moved and manipulated are e.g. binding means or containers which can be seized, manipulated and deposited by a suitable manipulating tool. Pairs of clamping jaws or plates are also used for seizing stacks by their faces. Such pairs of clamping plates can also be parts of manipulating tools.
All means described above for making stacks of flat articles stable and manipulable show disadvantages. Tied up stacks are very stable and can be manipulated at random and in all positions. Furthermore the binding means can easily be adapted to any format of articles. The maximum height however of tied up stacks is restricted. Especially for short manipulating steps, the tying up and untying is too much of an expenditure. Containers which contain flat articles can only be brought into random positions in space if they are closed and if their size is adapted to the stack precisely, i.e. if they are completely filled. Only partly filled containers are very restricted as what regards the positions in space they can be brought into without upsetting the original arrangement of the stack contained in the container. This is especially the case with open containers, which are used when the articles must be accessible also. Stacks which are held together with face-plates (clamping plates positioned on the two faces of a stack) can be brought into all positions in space without further means. The face-plates can however only be positioned and removed if the participating guiding means (stabilizing the stationary stack to be sized) do not interfere with the faces of the stack such that these are freely accessible. Furthermore the maximum height of a stack clamped between face-plates is rather small, especially for stacks of articles who's main surfaces are not exactly parallel and/or articles which are moveable against each other with low friction.
The object of the invention is to present a method with which a plurality of flat articles, which are held in a stacked order by stabilizing means, can be seized, brought into various positions in space and deposited in the area of further stabilizing means without upsetting the stacked order of the articles. The method, compared to known methods, is to show improvement on the one hand in that the stabilizing means on the seizing side and on the depositing side are submitted to as few conditions as possible and on the other hand in that the height of stack is variable within as large a range as possible and that very different articles, especially articles of small stiffness and very thin articles as well as articles with irregular thickness and/or with surfaces that are not suitable for stacking, can be manipulated in a stacked order without especially adapting the method. A further object of the invention is to create a device for carrying out the method according to the invention which device is easily adaptable to different formats of flat articles.